Monday, November 2, 2009

I came across Madhuram'smango halwa a few days back while I was looking for ways to use up some mango pulp that had been left over from a recipe I'd tried a couple of days earlier. I decided to give her recipe a try based on the great feedback she'd received by way of comments, and her beautiful picture of the halwa.

Ingredients:(For 7-8 small pieces)2 cups canned mango pulp (easily found at any Indian store)1 Tbsp ghee

Method:In a heavy-bottomed pan, add the ghee followed by the mango pulp. Cook, stirring at regular intervals till the pulp thickens. It will reduce considerably as the moisture in it evaporates, almost 55-60 minutes. It is advisable to use a splatter screen while cooking to keep the stovetop and its surroundings clean. Though I cooked the pulp for close to an hour, I did not get the consistency that I was looking for. I thought that refrigerating it would help solidify it a bit, so I left it in the refrigerator overnight. However, it was still very soft and gooey the next day. I then microwaved it (in a small microwave-safe cup) for 5-8 minutes taking the sticky mango mass out of the microwave and stirring every couple of minutes. Finally, it began to come together.

Place the halwa on a small greased plate and spread as evenly as possible.

Refrigerate, cut and serve.

Notes:I managed to get the texture that Madhuram got (she cooked almost 3 cups of the pulp in 45-50 minutes on stovetop alone) only by a combination of stovetop cooking (an hour, in my case) and microwaving (another 6-8 minutes)- too much work considering that all I wanted to do was just use up some leftover pulp! This is definitely a lot of work for something that yields so little. The taste, despite a hint of sourness, is simply fantastic. I will make this again for sure, relying completely on my microwave the next time, to simplify things a bit to get the job done.

Hi TBC, hope you are doing good. I came to check here since it's been a long time. It has been quite busy these days. Sort of role reversal, my husband works from home so he is at home always and I'm always on the road running errands.

I was surprised after seeing that you have tried the mango halwa recipe from my blog. You got it right, it's too much work to make it over stove top.

Happy Cook- the taste of the halwa is fantastic. But it is very time-consuming and I was pretty annoyed with how it turned out on the first day despite all the cooking-stirring I did for a long period of time. Plus, I had a verrrrrrrry messy stovetop at the end of it all. It was very frustrating and annoying! Microwaving (which I did only the next day) helped A LOT in getting the texture right.I do not recommend the stovetop method for making this.

Pratibha- actually, it is a tiny square. (I got very small, bite-sized pieces using 2 cups of the puree.) The pic is a close-up.:)

Raks- the MW version seems to be the popular one. I saw that in a couple of places. I should have done that.:(

Madhuram- I'm fine.:)It's nice to see that you have settled down nicely. Hope you had a good trip to India as well.Yeah, it is A LOT of work!. I'll go for the other method the next time.

Ria- thank you.:) You aren't doing so badly yourself either.;-)You are a bit of a celebrity now (saw you on You Tube).I hope you saw my answer to your question on your blog.

Homecooked- yeah, please use the MW only- it works much better in this case. There are a few people who have blogged about the MW version of the halwa- I would recommend that you check out their recipes as well.

Oops! Almost missed you there, Soma! Sorry!Yes, the taste is just like aam papad, a litle on the sour side, I'd say. That could be because of the brand I used (not sure which one though since I use a couple of different brands).

OMG....how yummy is that. let me know after you do the MW version...i would love to give it a try. Will call you in a day or two...has been forever since we touched base! Btw. the semolina cake looks great too....yes..it is better to mix and bake rather than stirring it

Rajitha- :D thank you.I know, it has been a while! I am ready whenever you are.:)

MR- thanks, glad you think so.:)

Shyam- thank you! And it tastes just like (sour)aam papad. It was one of my favorite sweet treats back home.:) But this is a little time-consuming to make- if I want aam papad, I'll just buy it from the store the next time. :D

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The recipes you see here are ones that have worked for me in my kitchen and have been tailored to suit my palate. There is no guarantee that it would do the same for you. Please use my recipes merely as guidelines and feel free to adapt it to cater to your needs.